Press "Enter" to skip to content

Les Brown || Self Discipline: The Key to Getting Everything You Want || Les Brown Motivation


one of the first things I want you to
begin to do right now is to take a brave
look at your life look at your life
right now where it is so let me ask you
some questions as you begin to look out
on the future look out and own this year
let’s take personal inventory what has
brought you here as you begin to look at
the things that took place this past
year did you get out of it what you
wanted did you achieve the goals that
you set out to achieve what part of your
life well what things that you do that
you don’t want to be a part of your life
are there any people as you begin to
look at your life and look at where you
want to go and what you want to do are
there any people that might be some dead
weight that you need to think about
unloading because what you have found
through that relationship that it’s more
toxic than it is nourishing is more
debilitating that it is empowering and
so now you’ve got to make a decision see
of many of us won’t be able to move
forward because we’re not taking true
inventory of our lives as you begin to
look at your emotional your spiritual
and intellectual development how many
books did you read how many seminars did
you attend how many classes that you
take to begin to develop yourself
professionally to improve your craft or
your skill how many new things that you
learn just take some personal immaterial
just thinking just thinking just
thinking beginning to know yourself one
of the things about your past that has
influenced you right now what’s your
philosophy of life what are your beliefs
things that you feel very strongly about
what are some of the things that you
have picked up along the way that you’ve
been doing them for so long you think
that they’re you that you need to begin
to re-examine them and perhaps get them
out of your life see a lot of things
we’re doing we do unconsciously because
we picked it up somewhere in life a
friend of mine out of Chicago named real
steel I was at her house to have dinner
Andrea who was born in Chicago has a
tremendous Southern drawl after I met
her mother I said where did real get her
Southern drawl from she said my sisters
came up from Kentucky and they used to
be her baby
sitter and she picked it up while in
their presence Andrea still has that
drawl
what is it that you picked up somewhere
in life that maybe me might be a
liability to you what fear what beliefs
that you’re holding on to tenaciously
that’s no longer allowing your life to
work
that’s not enabling you to produce the
results that you want to produce in your
life and you’re still clinging to them
see as we go into new world there’s some
old behaviors that just won’t fit what
are the events what are the
circumstances one of the people that
have shaped you just thinking just
thinking one of the things that you need
to let go some things that have cost you
pain that’s stifling your growth and
development what are those things as you
begin to look at your profession or your
career what is it that you need to do to
begin to upgrade your skills of your
knowledge to continue for you to be
competitive in the marketplace as you
begin to look at yourself and ask some
of these questions what is something
that you’re good at are you living your
passion are you living your dream what
do you regard as your greatest personal
achievement what is the one thing that
other people can do to make you most
happy let’s think about these things
what would you do if you had one year to
live and guaranteed success in anything
what would you do with your life if you
had it to live over getting to know
yourself what is one value one deep
commitment from which you would never
bulge what is one calls that you would
like to become involved in to make a
difference on the planet I work in the
Cook County Jail in Chicago it gives my
life a great deal of joy and fulfillment
have you found something like that in
your life that you could enjoy doing
working with people I have a friend
that’s working with physically
handicapped people she said it’s been
the most rewarding experience she has
ever had she used to be a constantly
depressed individual always feeling
sorry for herself it has changed her
life she’s a grateful person she’s found
something that she’s lost herself in
what is your biggest setback failure or
defeat of the past year what is it about
you if someone who really knew they
wouldn’t get into a relationship with
now don’t go tell it but once you
acknowledge what that is then start
working on it changing it change that
it’s easy to blame the other person but
start taking ownership for where you are
are you proud of how you have been
living your life have you explored your
natural talents your gifts by
enthusiastically trying a variety of
activities ladies and gentlemen a lot of
us have so much talent and abilities we
just put them back on the back burner
just left them aside someplace never did
anything with them never brought them
out here
used to do them extremely well in high
school or college or just had a natural
gift and never did anything with it what
are you sitting on what gifts are you
sitting on have you resign yourself to a
life feeling that nothing can be done to
change your future or your circumstances
have you been afraid to try something
different because you’re afraid of how
people will react to you or what they
will think those are some of the things
that I suggest that you begin to answer
yourself now here are some things that I
suggest that you begin to look at
working on to develop your character
some things that will give you some
personal strength Webster says character
building activities he says character
the pattern of behavior of personality
found in an individual or group moral
strength self-discipline fortitude
that’s what’s going to be required in
order to begin to manifest your
greatness now looking at yourself
one of the things I’m suggesting you
look at what is it that you need to be
in the process of doing more of a less
of like being more direct so I used to
have a problem of not telling people
what I actually thought because I didn’t
want to hurt anybody’s feelings saying
no without feeling guilty more focus so
I used to be the jack of all trades and
master of none just do a lot of things
one year I decided to do one thing well
I looked at all of my talents and I
decided the strongest one my ability is
a speaker that’s the one I’m going to
focus on but I’m capable of doing a lot
of other things but only when I decided
to focus that I began to reap the
rewards of my talent and then after you
do that you can begin to expand and use
the other talents that you have deciding
to keep your word if you just decide I’m
going to keep my word if I say something
I’m going to do it regardless being more
considerate more trusting more
discipline being less fearful being more
adventurous find something that you can
look at your life that you say hey I
know I’ve got a problem in this area
being late I need to take care of that
procrastinating I need to deal with that
not taking care of business being
seriously not serious creating an
imbalance of my life where I’m spending
more time looking at television or
having social fun and not spending
enough time working on me see most
people ladies and gentlemen spend more
time working on their jobs and they’d
spend working on themselves they work
harder on their jobs and they work on
themselves and whatever we achieve in
life whatever we create whatever we able
to manifest comes out of the human mind
now I want you to think about five
things as if you had the courage to do
them it will give you a feeling of
satisfaction and self-respect think of
five things that if you had the courage
to do those things
you will feel a tremendous feeling of
take the time to write those things down
whatever they might be to you it might
be in your personal life it might be in
your your friendships your family
relationships might be in your business
I was negotiating with a friend of mine
that I admire a great deal and this
person went back on their agreement and
I did not challenge them on it
number one because of my admiration for
her number two because I really wanted
the business and I think she sensed that
so I didn’t want to seem to pick it I
was nervous about it and I was cowardly
because I should have said listen that’s
not what we agreed to
I should have called her on that but I
didn’t want to look bad or to appear to
be negative or risk losing the business
look at five things that if you had the
courage to do those things that you
would do those things a lot of people
say well I’ve been like this all my life
I just can’t change her this is the way
I am dr. Harrell Griswold a psychologist
and author of direct decision therapy
said something he says when someone says
I can’t change some part of them wants
to change but the payoffs for his
present behavior are greater than the
payoffs for a changed behavior or his
fear of change is too great ladies and
gentlemen it takes courage to live your
dreams it takes courage to manifest your
greatness it takes courage to decide to
live to decide to bring out all of your
talents and abilities to decide to
stretch out desire to take a chance it
takes courage to be happy just to be you
I saw a friend who I hadn’t seen for a
long time
her whole personality has changed she
was an extroverted assertive person but
because her husband has a fragile ego
when she’s around him she caught on to
him she plays to him she’s very silent
she doesn’t express herself her feelings
and there are many things she wants to
do but before she even make a decision
of what she wants to do she checks you
know how will he handle this how will he
see this will this be disruptive in our
relationship a lot of us readjust our
behavior and we end up not being who we
really are in deference to relationships
men and women looking at the word
courage Webster says the attitude of
facing and dealing with anything
recognized as dangerous difficult or
painful instead of withdrawing from it
as you begin to look at where you want
to go and take personal inventory it’s
going to be very uncomfortable that’s
why most people don’t do it it’s very
painful to admit your shortcomings to
admit your weaknesses it’s very painful
to do that it’s much easier to withdraw
from that and just ignore it he goes on
to the courage of one’s convictions the
courage to do what one thinks is right
as you begin to look at yourself and
look at where you want to go with your
life it’s very important for you to ask
yourself a question as you look at
various areas of your life is what you
are doing right now is it giving you
what you want if it’s not giving you
what you want it’s going to take courage
to decide to do something differently it
takes courage to enjoy yourself what are
some of the self-defeating behaviors
that we become involved in that prevent
most people from enjoying themselves
some people develop the what’s the use
some people have the I really don’t care
and they convince themselves that they
don’t care and they don’t feel anything
and after a while they really don’t feel
anything their lives are empty some
people say well it’s really not worth
the hassle
just too hard it doesn’t bother me
anymore
the fact that I’m not living out my
dream the fact that I’m capable of doing
more and I’m not doing it the fact that
I’m content but I’m not fulfilled the
fact that I’m not living my dream Tom
Ruskin Randi read in a book call I want
to change but I don’t know how said
people go through life many times
playing it safe he says that’s the
secret hope that they say to themselves
if I never let myself feel too good
maybe I’ll never get hurt too badly a
lot of people don’t ever do the things
they’re capable of doing because they
allow themselves to go along with the
crowd following the crowd many people
have things they want to do and and they
find themselves in relationships with
people who are addicted to mediocrity
and they allow their behavior to
influence their behavior following the
crowd many people don’t do it because of
the fact that they allow their lack of
self-confidence to immobilize them I
remember when I wanted to go into
business for years I was an agonising
thought in my mind I wouldn’t try
because I didn’t believe that I could
make it of the 5 things that you would
like to do if you had the courage to do
I want you to pick one thing pick one
and here’s how to set it up for yourself
that will help free you and get you
unstuck what is the worst thing that
could happen if you do it what’s the
worst thing that could happen let’s say
going into business for yourself or
changing careers or getting a divorce
taking some kind of chance of something
that you’ve always thought about doing
but you just haven’t done it for
whatever reason what’s the worst thing
that can happen do the worst case
scenario now when you do the worst case
scenario you write those things down the
worst things that you fear would happen
when you name your fears that put you in
control what are you afraid of name it
write it out so you can look at it
confront that fear what is it I’m afraid
that things might work out what else
well I’ve never been in business okay
what else last time well I don’t have
all the help I need okay good what else
less well I don’t have enough money all
right good what else less what I don’t
have a college degree uh what else I’m
not as good as those other guys that
I’ve seen a best speaking okay what else
well that’s all I can think of right now
okay good
now that takes you to the next step what
are the benefits one of the benefits of
your acting courageously taking life on
well part of what happened was that I
felt better within myself and I had a
strong sense of self-respect going into
business for myself I made a lot of
mistakes sometimes I was down on myself
I felt stupid I felt dumb because people
who were in business said why would you
do something like that well I didn’t
know boy boy were you really dumb and I
used to chime in with him yes I guess I
was I didn’t know any better but the
other thing is I had to say to myself
but I did it I did even if I made a flop
of it I did it I took the chance I took
the leap what are the benefits of your
acting courageously whatever it is that
you’ve identified right the benefits
down and then focus on them focus on the
benefits not on the liabilities not on
your fears focus on the benefits that
which you hold in consciousness tends to
manifest itself think about how good you
feel think about the level increased
self-respect the sense of self-worth
that you feel how good you feel getting
up in the morning looking yourself in
the mirror because you’re taking life on
the other thing is acknowledge your
fears and then go into action this book
it’s called feel the fear and do it
anyway that’s it see I believe anybody
who’s ever done anything who’s ever
taken a chance doesn’t mean that they’re
not afraid
courageous does not mean being the
absence of fear I think that being
courageous is willing to do it because
that’s what you feel and you’re gonna do
it anyhow regardless you’re not going to
be immobilized by your fears or your
doubts you admit okay I’m scared to
death now okay what is it that I must
choose to do go ahead on experience that
fear but don’t let that fear immobilize
you in what you’ve done with your life
thus far is it giving you what you want
is it giving you what you want when you
look toward the future when you look at
all of this going on out here is there
some place within yourself you say hey I
know I need to be out there in that
arena I know I can do more than what
I’ve been doing I know there’s some
great music that I have within me that I
haven’t brought out here is that
something that you begin to look at
within yourself so I used to do that and
I used to go to big rallies and see guys
up speaking when I wasn’t courageous
enough to go out there and say hey my
name is les brown the motivator made me
a browsable I want to talk I would never
do that I just was I just be back there
looking at if it want to get the
autograph it would say can I can I meet
you mister mister lately or this kid ah
sweet mr. Zig Ziglar please tell him who
are you let’s Brown because they want to
go talk to these guys and go get their
autographs I’d like to do what you do
see I say if you look at your life and
if you’re not getting what you want you
owe it to yourself to do something
differently you are if you’re on a job
85% they say of Americans go to jobs
that they’re unhappy if you’re doing
something eight hours a day that you
don’t like it’s not giving you what you
want it’s not giving you a strong
feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment
you’re miserable you hate to go there
you’re depressed just thinking about it
you’re saying they thank God it’s Friday
song every week it’s giving you
headaches just thinking about it on
Sunday afternoon after the football game
goes off if that’s what it is you owe it
to yourself to start strategically
working to change directions see but you
know what most people will do most
people will resist change
most people will fight change as if
change would be worse than what they’re
experiencing see they know this they’re
familiar with this most people will not
challenge the unknown they won’t just
step out there see they well see they’re
certain things has got to be in place
they got to see it all together and like
this and like that that’s not how you
grow so as you look at your life you’re
saying I’m not getting what I want as
you begin to look toward the future
begin to know that whatever it takes for
you to create that you got that in you
you got that you’ve got genius in you
you’ve got goodness in you you’ve got
creativeness in you if you decide to
take the initiative to change the
current quality of your life I say to
you that you will find that the universe
is on your side that life is on your
side now will it be turbulent yes would
it be easy no no will you have some
opposition yes will I make a lot of
mistakes yes will I get hurt yes yes see
a lot of people won’t try anything
different like because they don’t want
to get hurt let me tell you something
it’s too much pain too doc pain is
everywhere you can hide under here it
will come where you are
really if I go back to your painter come
hey les come on up it will come it’s
everywhere Viktor Frankl calls it
unavoidable suffering you can’t duck it
but most people spend their life not
wanting to deal with the pain of
rejection the pain of defeat the pain of
being disappointed the pain of losing
the pain of failure the pain of being
criticized the pain of not being liked
the pain the pain the pain that’s called
life life is full of pain it’s
everywhere but guess what there’s no
gain without pain now if you’re gonna
because it’s the pain of regret that’s
your experience if I had it to do over
again that’s a pain don’t you know
that’s um when you know I was in a
seminar once and this ladies stood up if
I had my life to live over again she
talked about all of the things that she
would do and you can feel the pain of
regret in a voice the pain of regret
she still experienced pain she was
trying not to experience the pain of
defeat the pain of disappointment the
pain of loss the pain of lack of support
and she still experienced thene it was
right there we can’t get around it most
people are governed by their habits the
fears and the opinions of others a lot
of people never try anything differently
because they have been convinced by
people in their lives that they value
that they can’t do it they’re living
within the context of the opinions that
other people have of them the low
expectations many people doubt
themselves because when they thought
about doing something at some critical
point in their lives somebody they
respected and honored somebody they
believed in somebody that they loved
someone they trust it’s that you can’t
do that and they accepted that that’s
why I did go off to college I had an
instructor that I believed who said
you’re not college material mr. brown
you’re not as smart as your brother
Wesley or your sister Margaret Anne
you’re not college material why don’t
you try and get you a job at the post
try and do something with your hand
we’ll go down to the Miami city
sanitation apartment I see can you get a
job there
oh why don’t you try and go into the
army I took that test mister tell us
already what happened I fail I told you
anybody feel the army tests you really
in trouble so I went down to the
Sanitation Department to try and get a
job because that’s what I believed was
possible for me as you look at your life
ask yourself the question what would
your life be like what would your life
look like if you decided not to care
what people thought of you what would
your life be like if you decided to give
up some of your fears what would your
life be like if you decided to become
courageous what would your life be like
if you decided to act on your dream if
you did what you felt in your heart you
know what courageous means tom ruskin
and randy reid said they said that
courage comes from a French word which
means of the heart that how does it feel
to you he says such courage you know it
takes courage to live since most people
go through life not allowing themselves
to step out because they don’t want to
let go they don’t want to be blown
around they don’t want to be moved the
courage to face life’s whirling wind of
contradictions the courage to love
yourself the courage to love for years I
was afraid to love the courage to take a
he says courage isn’t for somebody else
for metals applause immoral debts
courage is what at that moment feels
most right for you
not just situational ethics but what
feels right in your heart the word of
the heart what feels right in your heart
one great philosopher says cowards die
many times before their deaths
the valiant never taste of death but
once what does that mean the valiant
people aren’t afraid no no no it means
that they experience that fear and they
move forward they move forward any how
many people are dead now many people
allowing their dreams to die
many people applying the ideas to lie
dormant and collect dusts
many people have all this talent and
ability that they allowing to be
embedding side of them that they will
take with them to their graves because
they didn’t have the courage to be who
they are and I say as you begin to look
to all the future and manifesting your
greatness it’s going to take everything
in you everything in you that your life
deserves the concentrated effort to
begin to look at how is it that I can
express more of me how is it that I can
bring my ideas out here now how is it
and start living with a sense of urgency
because you’re here today you’re gone
today life is unpredictable
it’s uncertain there’s no guarantees no
guarantees out here at all so holding
back what are you waiting on ask
yourself what’s the benefit of your
waiting what’s the benefit of your not
living your dream what’s the benefit of
not listening to yourself oh please
listen to yourself you know the feelings
that you started listening to the
feelings in your heart and I’m doing it
nam lore every day I find that my
feelings I can trust them and I say to
you that as you look toward the future
you look at life on a daily basis if
there’s something that you have been
given if you’ve heard something within
yourself that you know that that what
you’re doing now it doesn’t fit for you
it doesn’t work for you it’s not giving
you what you want and there’s something
else that you want to do don’t allow
that inner doubt in you to talk you out
of it to build a case on why you can’t
have it to tell you why you’re not good
enough you ignore that inner voice and
all of the external voices don’t judge
the posture
abilities for what you can do based upon
the circumstances because the
circumstances won’t determine who you
are don’t determine what you’re able to
do based upon your resources don’t
determine what’s possible for you based
upon where your life is right now where
your life is right now is not you that’s
just what it is right now but the
possibilities for you are unlimited if
you’re in a rebuilding process it’s
unlimited if you’re coming back from
adversity and devastation it’s unlimited
of what you can do
that’s the capacity of human beings it
doesn’t matter how many mistakes you’ve
made doesn’t matter how many flops
you’ve had doesn’t matter how much money
you’ve lost in fact I see it only as an
investment what you learn from life not
losses but investments of what’s
possible for you and I say to you that
once you start listening to yourself and
as you begin to act on your dream as you
start just trying to find your way doing
what you can what you have you will
start seeing things opening up for you
start attracting people you say where’d
it come from
things will start coming together
clicking for you say whoa you start
brainstorming ideas will come out of
nowhere as you focus on it the key to it
is to begin to focus on what it is you
want to do why less why is that
important because as you focus on that
which you want to do that which we focus
on that which we give our energy to it
will begin to multiply it will begin to
expand it will begin to develop your
consciousness and out of that comes your
greatness out of that comes a commitment
out of that comes a passion for life out
of that comes a special power that you
have in you that you haven’t even called
on yet see the the powers that we have
will never reveal themselves if we don’t
challenge them if we don’t put ourselves
in a position where we have to use them
so one of the most important things
that’s reading a book that’s a really
interesting book called instant
millionaire and the guys said put
yourself in a position where you can’t
retreat where it’s do-or-die
sink or swim here’s what you find out
you develop incredible swimming skills
or swallow half the pool of life you’ll
find yourself stroking unlike you’ve
ever seen before through the inspiration
of desperation you become more creative
than ever before so what is it how do we
handle that whole piece throw your whole
self into it see most people go at it
tentatively they don’t give all their
stuff they don’t concentrate they don’t
put everything they’ve got in them one
guy wrote a book called all you can do
is all you can do and all you can do is
enough but he said make sure you do all
you can do and if we’re honest this
evening we know that we haven’t done all
we can do so as we look at the future we
can decide that from this day forward as
I look at my personal relationships if I
look at my professional relationships if
I look at my family relationships as I
look at all the dimensions of my life
looking at myself mentally emotionally
and spiritually I’m going to do all I
can do to develop me to bring my talent
out here to make a contribution to life
I don’t know what you want to do
here’s what I know about you you got
greatness within you as you look toward
the future and developing your greatness
begin to know that your life is worth
the effort is the easy no is it worth it
yes yes your life is worth it and so it
is this is mrs. Mamie Brown’s baby boy
Lester Calvin Brown saying it’s been a
plum pleasing pleasure as well as a
privilege thank y’all yeah [Applause]
Please follow and like us: